Warmth
by wanderingassassin
Summary: AU, 1x2x1, OOCness. Following a mission gone wrong, Heero Yuy finds himself surrounded by familiar faces but not familiar people, in a world that has never known the tragedies of war.
1. Chapter One

**Category: **Gundam Wing, prospective 1x2x1  
**Author:** Assassin (AKA Fishie)  
**Rating: **PG-13+  
**Disclaimer: **Gundam Wing belongs to Bandai, Sotsu Agency and probably some other people as well. I don't own it, nor do I make any claims over it. This story is being written purely for entertainment sake and no profit is being made.  
**Spoilers:** None, hopefully, especially considering I haven't watched more than five episodes of the series.  
**Progress: **1 of many  
**General Notes: **Not much to say. I was bored and procrastinating, so I decided to do some writing, which has become my favorite past time. It's really quite sad…  
**Genre: **Drama, some angst, romance, mystery, some weirdness.  
**Thanks to:**  
**Music: **Chrno Crusade OST  
**Dedications: **Once again, I dedicate this story to all writers out there suffering from writer's block and lacking muses. Hopefully, this story of mine will inspire you into writing again.  
**Summary: **AU, 1x2x1, OOC-ness. Following a mission gone wrong, Heero Yuy finds himself in a strange world without war where one chooses one's own battles and fights them with as much, or as little as one is willing to give.

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**Warmth**

Chapter One

_Warm_, Heero thought as he pulled the comforter tighter around himself, _safe._ Barely a moment later, he was sitting upright in bed, his blue eyes wide open in shock. As if recovering from some violent storm, the memories slowly rearranged themselves in his mind, slipping back into their original sequences with the unusual clarity that life as an assassin had required from him. Heero blinked twice, his last moment of peace before his mind cleared and he found himself swearing a blue-streak under his breath. _Careless_ was the only thought that resonated over and over in his brain as he replayed that final moment, _I was careless._ He could still remember every moment of it, right up until the moment he lost consciousness. The enemy attacking, although their accuracy was at an all time low. Heero cursed himself as he remembered it. A decoy, that was all it was, a stupid decoy and he fell for it. He had taken the bait, and had not realized until the last minute when that group of silent Leos finally crept up to him and delivered a trap a four-year-old could have planned. _Why had he been so careless?_ Heero thought furiously, his hands moving to clutch his head as he leaned forwards, suddenly the victim of a throbbing headache.

It was only after the headache subsided that he noticed something was off.

Why was he in a hospital bed?

He was a renegade fighter who participated in a solo battle against a horde of enemies that, although occasionally very stupid, definitely knew better than to keep him alive even if they ever did manage to capture him. The infamous pilot of the Wing Gundam was somebody who Oz preferred dead over anything else, and even they would not risk the chance of letting Heero live and escape, over dead with all the information he knew. But if it was not Oz who captured him, then who was it? Left on his own, Heero suspected that he should probably be lying in the remnants of Wing out in the desert somewhere, and not in a comfortable bed. One of the other pilots then, but that did not seem likely. He had left on this mission by himself without informing any of the others, and Quatre, Trowa and Wufei were all too far away on their own missions for anything Heero could have said to matter. That left only Duo, but the braided pilot had been busy disputing over the best way to break into another Oz facility in the west, and had gone out to investigate just before Heero left himself. Their sites were both at least sixteen hundred miles away from each other, and even if Duo had ventured onto the battlefield and rescued him, this bed proved otherwise. Their current safe-house did not have such comfortable beds.

Lifting his gaze, Heero took in his surroundings, and his previous idea of not being in a familiar safe-house was instantly confirmed. He was sleeping in a bedroom, and judging from what he could see, it was a child's bedroom. There was a large, flat-screen television set on the wall opposite the bed, under which stood a small bookcase lined with game consoles, a DVD machine and a stereo. Standing against the wall on the right side of the room was a overly cluttered desk, on which sat a laptop and three external hard drives, a large collection of textbooks, several notebooks and pads and a collection of pens. There was a window behind the desk, the curtains of which was currently drawn, but still allowing some light to seep through. A glance to the left showed Heero a bookshelf stacked high with books ranging from lab manuals to manga, and the only door leading out of the room was currently closed just to the side of the book shelf. The walls were lined with posters and art pieces of a most eclectic nature, and the floor was covered in clothing, old newspapers and various notebooks.

Heero frowned as his eyes swerved back to the walls, uncertain he had ever seen such a personal room in all his life. Whoever lived here was obviously leading a relaxed life, a child who did not even know that a war was happening around him.

A knock on the door brought him back to reality, and Heero found himself slipping on guard immediately as blue eyes fell on the door, watching with his body tense as the handle turned and the door was pushed open. Heero's eyes narrowed, his hands curling under the covers, ready to attack. But a moment later, Relena Peacecraft entered the room, dealing Heero yet another shock in the short duration since he regained consciousness.

'Ah, you're awake already.' Relena said carelessly, moving over to the window to pull open the curtains, immediately drenching the room in morning sunlight. 'Well, hurry up and get dressed. Breakfast is waiting, and you don't have long if you want father to drive you as well.'

'What?' Heero blinked twice, then once again. Either his brain was not functioning properly, or there was something absurdly wrong about what Relena just said.

'Wake up little brother!' Relena smiled. 'Or father's going to leave you behind!'

'What?'

'Are you alright Heero?' Relena's smiled faltered as she walked over quickly, slipping once after mistaking a magazine for the floor. 'You never listen to me, but I think it would be beneficial if you cleaned up your floor so that people can actually walk around in here without breaking their necks.'

'It's not my floor.' Heero responded with a frown. 'This isn't my room.'

'Heero's, you're really scaring me.' Relena's frown became more somber. Reaching Heero, she sat gently on his bed and pressed her forehead to his. 'You don't have a fever…do you feel sick at all?'

'No.' Heero pushed Relena away. 'I feel fine.' As if suddenly realizing how wrong that was, he grabbed Relena by the wrist and pulled her over again. 'I feel _fine_! I'm not injured! I have no bruises, no fractures and no broken bones. How long have I been sleeping?'

'Um…a night?' Relena backed away slightly. 'I'm just going to call mom okay?'

'Wait-' But Relena was already yelling for her mother, and Heero could only clutch the comforter to himself in shock and confusion.

A moment later, a woman with long, blond hair tied up in a messy bun rushed in, and Heero felt himself tense immediately upon seeing the knife she held in her right hand. Relena paid it no mind as she dragged her supposed mother over until they were both within a foot of Heero.

'Heero's acting weird.' Relena explained. 'He doesn't know who he is!'

'I know who I am.' Heero growled. 'I was merely saying that this is not my room.'

'As I was saying.' Relena continued, giving Heero a pointed stare. 'I think he should stay at home today. He's definitely not well.'

'I'm fine!'

'No you're not!'

'Okay!' Relena's mother exclaimed, silencing both Heero and Relena. Looking empathetically between them, she sighed. 'Relena, if your brother says he's fine, then he's fine. Just keep an eye on him at school and call me or your father if anything happens. Meanwhile, I'll give book an appointment with Dr. Winner for after school.' She smiled kindly, and Relena's protest seemed to die in her throat. 'Well, if you are truly all right, then please get up. You're going to be late for school otherwise.'

With that, Relena's mother walked off, closing the door behind her. Relena gave Heero a worried look before sighing, a hopeless expression on her face.

'Good to know that at least you still act like the stubborn brat you are.' She smiled slightly. 'Your uniform's in the closet, in case you've forgotten. I better get changed too. Dad's car leaves in fifteen minutes, so you better speed up.'

And then she was gone, leaving Heero feeling more confused than ever.

-

Fifteen minutes later, Heero was sitting in Relena's father's car, feeling unusually fretful. Relena was sitting next to him, deep in conversation with somebody on her cell phone through a mobile headset, while she adjusted Heero's tie and fixed his collar in an almost maternal way. Relena's father was attempting to speak to them as he drove, although most of his comments went unnoticed by Relena, whose attention span was already stretched wide enough, and Heero who simply did not care.

Heero eyed the scenery as they drove by, memorizing everything like always. It was a suburban area with moderate sized homes, most of which looked almost identical to each other. He could see students walking along the sidewalks, most of which were wearing uniforms very similar to his and Relena's, although most of them had decided to ditch the blazer and several of the boys had their shirts untucked.

The school they went to was unfamiliar to Heero. It was not an overly prestigious school like the one he first saw Relena in, but still radiated class regardless. Relena's father dropped them off at the front gate with the order of "behave" to Heero before driving off. Relena gave her supposed brother a hopeless look.

'In case you've forgotten, you were a bit of a troublemaker.'

'Ah.' Was all Heero could say.

Relena took him on a quick tour of the school, all the while trying to appear inconspicuous to the students they passed. Heero memorized every route, and soon had a map of the school embedded in his mind with every possible exit accounted for. The school was average in size, with one main building and two wings leading off it to the music and drama department, and the cafeteria and library. The main building rose to six stories high, with approximately twenty rooms per floor with the ground floor as an exception. There were two courtyards, one between the front gate and main entrance, and a second enclosed by the main building and the wings leading off it. At the end of this courtyard were the basketball courts and oval, as well as the gym building. According to Relena, the main building rooftop was strictly off limits, and because of students sneaking up there regardless, new locks had been fixed on the door leading up to it. Heero took in this bit of information without much interest, for it was at that moment that he finally finished counting the hidden cameras. The school was under constant surveillance, with four cameras to each corridor, and one per class. There were seven in the library, ten in the cafeteria and four in the gym. It was most curious, something which Heero quickly committed to his memory. He would need to check up on the history of the school when he got his hands on a computer of some sort.

Finally, Relena showed him to where his locker was, and reminded him of his combination. She suggested writing it down, but Heero shook his head at the idea. He had confidence in his memory and would definitely not forget it. He told Relena as much, but his supposed sister only laughed.

'Your timetable is pasted to the back of your locker door.' Relena explained. 'The room numbers go by the floor, so room 105 would be on the ground floor and so on. The 700s is the music wing, and the rest of the places are all self-explanatory. Apart from that, I'll meet you here at recess okay?' She grabbed his shoulders gently at this point and gave him an imploring stare. 'Please take care of yourself.'

'I always take care of myself.' Heero shot back, turning away to open his locker. Relena gave him a sad smile before running off, but not before reminding Heero that he had violin class at lunchtime. Heero stared in the direction she went for a long while after, unsure what to make of his new predicament. He could not bring himself to believe that this was all some elaborate set up, it was too thorough. Besides, he could not picture Relena taking part in any such conspiracy, especially if he was to become the victim. The only other logical explanation was that none of this was real, and that he was dreaming. But that too, had its flaws. Everything around him was too real, he thought as he ran his fingers down his locker door, the textures; the smell; the feel, and the whole atmosphere. This was not a dream, or at least, it was not one that even came close to the types of dreams Heero was used to.

He wrenched open the door as he turned the combination lock around one final revolution, not sure what to expect. The contents of the locker followed a similar pattern to what Heero had witnessed back at the room in the Peacecraft room, which was utter disorder. A violin case had been hastily shoved into the bottom of the locker, crushing a stack of papers. The upper division was in a state of similar messiness, with four textbooks crushed under a stack of novels and notebooks. Two of the textbooks had bent covers, and the notebooks all shared rough corners, as if they had been attacked by an animal with sharp teeth. A mobile phone sat on top of the lot, the only item in the entire locker that appeared to be in remotely good condition. A closer examination revealed that it was a PDA that doubled as a phone with a two gig SD card. _This would definitely come in handy later_, he thought, slipping the device into his pant pocket. Without another thought, Heero dropped his back pack on the floor next to his locker and pulled everything out of the locker with a vengeance. If he was expected to use this locker for an indeterminate amount of time, then his first priority would be to get it back into usable conditions.

He was half way through restacking everything when somebody tapped him on the shoulder. He had known moments earlier that the person was approaching, so he was not surprised. However, the identity of this new visitor left him in a moment of shock. He did not show it, but inside, he was cursing.

'Hello Quatre.' He greeted, stunned by the appearance of his fellow pilot. Quatre grinned, his aquamarine eyes glittering as he turned to lean against the locker next to Heero's.

'Morning.' He greeted belatedly. 'My father told me something interesting this morning.'

'Did he now?' Heero asked cautiously, knowing full well what Quatre had learned, but wanting to hear the blond say it.

'Apparently you're not yourself.' Quatre gave him a worried look. 'You're not sick are you?'

'I'm fine.' Heero growled through gritted teeth before turning back to his locker. 'Why must everybody ask me that?'

'You're cleaning your locker.' Quatre observed, his voice quiet. 'The Heero I know would never clean his locker. Something about order to the trained eye.'

'There was no order to what was here before.' Heero muttered back, stacking the notebooks neatly next to the row of textbooks. 'It was the work of someone lazy. Laziness equals inefficiency, and I will not place myself in a situation where I waste valuable time as a consequence of a problem that could have been easily solved.'

'Wow.' Quatre stared with wide eyes. 'You are weird today.'

'I'm practical.' Heero slammed his locker shut when he finally finished rearranging his items. Quatre gave him a startled look, his eyes wary, and Heero cursed himself for not being able to control his temper.

'My apologies.' He said quickly, giving Quatre a gentle look. 'My temper is not its best today.'

'It's quite all right.' Quatre smiled kindly. 'Hopefully, my father would have found out what's wrong with you by today evening.'

Heero nodded, keeping the fact that nothing was going to change firmly to himself.

-

First period found Heero in biology class, something that he had never done previously. Thankfully, the majority of the course appeared to be common knowledge. Still, Heero quickly made a note to himself to revise everything tonight. He had already attracted enough attention to himself, it would not do to gain any more unpleasant looks. _Adapt_, he told himself firmly as he watched the teacher draw an inheritance chart, _learn and adapt. _

Half way into the lesson, the teacher handed everyone their test results. Heero frowned when the teacher dropped his test paper on the table with a somber look, drawing Heero's attention to the fact that his was the only paper that was turned over. He flipped it over cautiously, taking in the childish, messy scrawl that covered the page before focusing on the mark at the top. Forty-five percent was written there in angry red ink, with the comment of "see me" directly under it. Heero read over his responses quickly, his frown becoming more prominent as he read on. Aside from the terrible handwriting, there were many spelling errors and incorrect terminology used. It was small wonder that his counterpart received such a pathetic mark, he sighed, perhaps he would not need to revise on the subject after all.

With only ten minutes remaining of the session, the teacher suddenly decided to grace the class with a "quick test". Heero's eyes narrowed as they took in the single question and the diagram under it. It was most likely an x-linked recessive disorder, considering all of the three boys were affected, and the fact that one of the four girls was infected implied that the mother was a carrier. Of course, it could also be just an autosomal recessive disorder, although according to the data, it was the less likely option. He wrote as much on his sheet before the thought of mangling his sentences and handwriting passed him. He frowned for a moment, uncertain whether he should do it, before deciding against it. He was uncertain how long he was going to be stuck in this alternate reality, but he was not going to be a screw up as long as he could help it.

Silence greeted him when he finished his test, and a quick glance around the class told him that the rest of the students were busy writing their response. Not wanting to waste time, he raised his hand and handed in the test to a very surprised teacher. The biology teacher read over his test quickly, her eyes widening as she read on, an indication to Heero that she was definitely surprised. Silently, he gathered his things before informing her that he was going to leave. She nodded once, her mouth unable to form a coherent answer.

The corridor outside was already somewhat populated with students who were released early. If his memory served him correctly, then his next class was mathematics on the fourth floor. Tucking his belongings under his arm, Heero made his way to the stairs. He read as he went, flipping through the other Heero's notebook in an attempt to gain an insight into his alter ego. The mathematics notebook was in a state of distress, not very different from the biology notebook, Heero mused. The notes were all very hastily made, with obvious mistakes, as if the person making them had waited until the last minute. He could understand Relena's comment earlier now, his other self was definitely a troublemaker, and a thorn in the sides of teachers.

Quatre met him in the corridor outside their maths class shortly after the first bell signaling the end of first period went. He wondered aloud whether Heero did well on the test, especially considering how he left class so early. Heero shrugged, offering only that he fulfilled all of the question's requirements. Quatre shook his head again, and Heero was left wondering what he said wrong.

The teacher arrived moments later, and Heero was only just about to enter the classroom when he spotted a familiar figure with a long, chestnut braid and peculiar violet eyes walking over. Heero blinked once, trying to accustom himself to seeing Duo in an otherwise open shirt save for two buttons, baggy, low riding pants which was definitely against the school's uniform policy, and shoes with untied laces. The boy glanced over at him when they met at the doorway, and Heero had to blink a further twice to get over the loathing behind those eyes.

'Morning Peacecraft.' Duo sneered, purposefully knocking into Heero before walking in.

'It's Yuy.' Heero said before he could stop himself. Not that he needed to, all the names on the books had said Heero Yuy in clear letters.

'Whatever.' Duo grinned, although it was far from kind. 'Go hide behind your bimbo sister Yuy.'

'Relena isn't a bimbo.' Heero frowned. 'You're being unnecessarily rude.'

'Oh, you think?' Duo sneered, stalking off to the other side of the class. Heero stared after him, uncertain what to make of the new revelations. Quatre ushered him over to sit in the second row with him, and Heero complied, dropping his books lightly onto the desk.

'Maxwell was being a prick again wasn't he?' Quatre asked, his aquamarine eyes displaying his obvious irritation. 'Somebody needs to put that kid on a leash.'

'He was rather rude.' Heero shrugged. 'Is he always like that?'

'You've forgotten him?' Quatre looked surprised. 'Well, Maxwell's always been a bit of an antisocial brat. He's already got a criminal record, you know? But the school deals with him because his uncle is major benefactor.'

'What about you?' Heero asked, opening his notebook to a blank page. 'Is your family rich?'

'Uh…I suppose you could say that.' Quatre looked surprisingly embarrassed. 'My father is the head of a large company, but he doesn't work there. The Winner Enterprises is run by my sisters mostly.'

'How many do you have?' Heero asked, taking the lack of mention of Quatre's mother as evidence that he did not have one, just like Heero's remembered.

'Twenty-nine older sisters.' Quatre said meekly. 'You don't remember Heero?'

'I do.' Heero shrugged. 'Just wanted to make sure.'

The lesson passed without much incident. The current topic was differential calculus, something that Heero had often used in the past when examining graphs. The teacher also returned their tests, and Heero found himself greeted with yet another upturned paper which turned out to be a disappointing thirty-five percent. How his alternate self could get a thirty-five percent mark on logarithms was beyond him, and all Heero could do was sigh. Quatre patted him comfortingly on the shoulder, and rather reluctantly showed Heero his perfect score when Heero asked. _At least somebody here has a brain_, he thought scathingly, tucking the test paper inside his notebook. As it turned out, there was a large stack of old test papers stuffed in the back of his book, all of which bore similar marks at the top. Curious, he glanced across the class to Duo, only just managing to register the mark of ninety-five percent before the braided boy shoved it into his notebook.

'Do you want me to help you with this stuff after school Heero?' Quatre asked kindly as the teacher continued her explanation on first principles. Heero shook his head once, informing Quatre that he was quite okay. Needless to say, the blond was surprised, but did not comment.

Recess came, and Heero found himself waiting at his locker for Relena to show up like she said she would. Quatre waited with him, all the while updating Heero on what was happening around the globe. Apparently in this universe, there were no colonies, and the moon was every bit as uninhabitable as any desert without air. Relena's father was still the foreign minister, only not for the colonies, and Relena's mother was a district attorney. When Relena finally showed up, it was with a familiar girl whose name Heero could not place. Seeing Heero's puzzled expression, the girl extended her right hand.

'Dorothy Catalonia.' She introduced with a smile. 'Relena told me about your condition.'

'No awkward questions then.' Heero took the hand firmly. 'Heero Yuy, but you knew that already.'

'Of course, you were my boyfriend at one point!' Seeing Heero's stunned look, Dorothy laughed. 'Just kidding Heero. My, you really have forgotten everything haven't you?'

'I have not forgotten anything.' Heero muttered, releasing Dorothy's hand. 'But it makes no difference in the end.'

'Um…so, how was your test results Heero?' Relena asked, handing him an apple. Heero took it, inspecting it quickly before taking a bite.

'Abysmal.' Heero answered.

'First time I've heard you use that word.' Relena looked sympathetic. 'Were they that bad?'

'I'd rather not talk about it.' Heero replied. 'Although I was not the one who took the tests, I am the one who received the marks. Rest assured Relena, it will not happen again.'

A silent message passed between Relena, Quatre and Dorothy, no doubt about Heero's sanity. It mattered little, however, Heero reminded himself not to shoot off his tongue so quickly in the future. Whatever happened to his restraints? He was obviously making himself out to be a stranger in a familiar person's body, if J were here, then he would surely be angry. It was almost as if Heero had completely discarded his infiltrating abilities. _Not that it matters_, he added spitefully to himself, _I am no longer fighting a war, not here anyway._

Just then, Duo Maxwell walked by, his shoulders hunched. It seemed as if he was going to walk right by them before he noticed their presence, and suddenly the atmosphere changed. Relena, Dorothy and Quatre were suddenly tense, and the look that spread across Duo's face was most cruel. Silently, Heero noted that Duo's gaze instantly fell on him before taking in those around him and swerving back to stare at him.

'My, if it isn't Peacecraft.'

'Yuy.' Heero corrected calmly. 'Hello Duo.'

The triple looks of shock next to Heero did not even come close to matching Duo's own momentary falter. It was short, and would have been missed if Heero had not been paying attention, but he saw the uncertainty cross Duo's eyes for a moment, and it was more than enough for his mind to frown. There was history here, much more than what Quatre had told him. Perhaps much more than Quatre knew.

'What, don't tell me you want to be my friend now?' Duo scowled. Heero shrugged.

'As a matter of speaking, I don't see any setbacks to making friends with you.'

'Fuck off Yuy.'

'Don't speak to my brother like that!' Relena cried irritably, giving Duo a fierce glare.

'Oh, hiding behind your sister now are we?' Duo asked scathingly, finally comfortable with something he was familiar with. Heero frowned.

'Hardly. But if it makes you more confident to say that…'

'Don't push it Yuy!' Duo's eyes narrowed. 'I trust you remember what happened the last time we fought.'

'Actually no.' Heero took another bite of his apple, purposefully appearing uninterested. The effect was obvious, and barely a second later, Duo was charging over, fist cocked. It was a poor move, Heero thought, disappointed. The real Duo would have known better than to execute such an obvious attack, and to leave such obvious openings as well. Relena let out a shout of warning, but Heero did not need it. He moved his head slightly to the right just as Duo's fist came lunging over, hearing the loud thud of knuckles on steel with satisfaction. Duo gave him a shocked look, but he merely shrugged before taking another bite of his apple. 'Would you like to try again?'

Duo was speechless, which was all very well. He did lunge at Heero again though, but Heero dodged it with ease, sending the other boy crashing to the floor. The Japanese boy puzzled over the situation for a moment, wondering about just what was on Duo's criminal record. The boy could not fight, and Heero could tell he was not holding back. _If only the real Duo was here_, he thought dully, _now there's someone worth sparring with._

'Are you done yet?' Heero asked calmly, offering Duo a hand. The braided boy gave him a most scathing look before pushing himself off the floor and running off, an action which Heero quickly attributed as childish. But he had seen the other Duo do that before, and he had understood at least half of the moment of pain he saw in those violet eyes. Duo was angry, angry that he could not beat somebody who he had previously thought as weak. But there was something else there as well, and for the life of him, Heero did not know what. He had never been good at analyzing human emotions, but this was the worst time for a reminder. He was stuck in a strange situation without orders or missions, without the battlefield which he was so familiar with or his fellow pilots who were as much of a family to him as he would ever have. Here, he was alone, surrounded by strangers with familiar faces.

For the first time in so long, Heero felt lost, so completely and utterly lost. Since when had he become so dependant on the war to provide a reason for his own life? Since when had he become so attached to Duo and the other pilots that it bothered him so deeply when he realized that he was hated? _Weak_, he told himself, _you've become weak and not only that, you've become spoiled._

When classes began again, and Relena ruffled his hair jokingly before rushing off to class with Dorothy while Quatre bid him goodbye before walking off to his legal studies class, Heero stood by himself once again, alone in every nature of the word.

'_Are you lost ni-chan?'_

'_I've always been lost.'_

_

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_

**Endnotes:**  
Well, there's the first chapter folks. I know, I shouldn't keep writing stuff and leaving other stories unfinished, but I like to think of myself as impulsive...(even though every one knows that I'm really just lazy and can't be bothered completing things I've already started, despite how much it irritates me). But yes, hope you all enjoyed it. As usual, please review and keep this now once again caffinated (I seem to have passed my allergy phase) author happy!

Assassin


	2. Chapter Two

**Progress: **2 of many  
**General Notes: **Thank you muchly for all those who reviewed! Your feedback is much appreciated! Anyway, I figured I should quickly add this note before all you poor readers died of confusion: I haven't finished watching Gundam Wing. In fact, I haven't even gone beyond the sixth episode (which sucks, because it's been sitting in my CD case waiting to be watched, but not being attended to because I don't have the time), and the details of Heero's previous world (as in the supposedly original GW universe) are completely random. Some of them are bits that I remember reading about, and others just stuff I made up to fill the spaces, but please bear in mind that Heero's previous world is about as TWT as one can possibly get. (Bows) I am sorry for not pointing that out earlier…  
**Music: **Room of Angel – Silent Hill 4 OST; Melancholic Rhapsody – Silent Hill 4 OST; Village of the Doomed – American McGee's Alice OST; Dust in the Wind – Sarah Brightman; Fever – Michael Buble; Someday, Someday – Thirsty Merc; You Never Know – Clazziquai; Not an Addict – K-s Choice; Duvet Cyberia remix – Serial Experiments Lain OST

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**Warmth**

By Assassin

Chapter Two

As a soldier, terrorist, assassin and thief, Heero had often come across situations where his ability to adapt and blend in with his surroundings were an absolute necessity. More than often, it was those very abilities that kept him from being discovered and facing certain death. However, as he sat in the music room amongst a group of other students, with a violin resting in his lap and his solo section in music resting on a black stand before him, Heero felt that no amount of adapting on his part could get him past this obstacle. The idea in itself was ludicrous! He was to stand up and play his solo piece by himself when he had no idea how to play a damn violin! _Calm down_, he told himself seriously, forcing his body to keep its calm exterior, _I can do this._ This was a violin he was playing, which was not all that different from the piano where the music score was concerned, and he knew how to play a piano. The rest would be self explanatory, or so he hoped. The piano had numerous black and white keys, and the violin only had four strings. Surely it would not be all that pressing a task?

Carefully, Heero reached over and tugged at the string furthest to the left. The violin let out a short and low sound, the string vibrating rapidly. He glanced around quickly, making sure that nobody was watching. The other students appeared to be busy with their own instruments, which was good news for him. Carefully, Heero plucked the string again. If it had been just slightly lower, then it would have been a G. Judging by the boy sitting next to him, who was plucking at his strings and twisting the black knob at the top and the silver knob just under the wooden bridge, Heero assumed he was tuning his violin. So in effect, all he had to do to tune this violin was to twist the correct knobs. Yes, he could do that. Cautiously, he plucked the string again before twisting the black knob ever so slightly. When he plucked his string again, Heero found himself greeted with a most flat, almost tuneless sound. He must have released the knob too much then. Carefully, he twisted the black knob again until the string was taut once again before plucking it again. The sound that met his ears was more similar to a G, but only slightly higher. Carefully, he reached over and twisted the silver knob on the bottom, plucking the string while he was at it. It did the job perfectly, and soon, Heero found with a proper G and feeling immensely proud of himself. Without another thought, he plucked the three other strings, quickly equating them to a D, A and E string, and tuned them accordingly.

By the time he was done, the teacher leading the Strings Orchestra (a name he decided most suitable considering that there were only stringed instruments present) had entered. He was a short man with a shock of white hair, most bright green eyes and a kind face. The students greeted him as one when he entered, with Heero excluded. As it turned out, the man's name was Mr. Jefferson, although most of the students called him Henry. Regardless, the instant the man took his place before his music stand, he tapped his baton twice on the edge of the stand and silence ensued at once. Still smiling, he requested that everyone play G. Heero watched as the people nearest to him lifted their violins, tucking them between their shoulder and chin, and letting their bows slide across the lowest string. It was only then that Heero realized that they had a black, cushiony item resting between their violin bottom and their shoulders. Hastily, Heero reached into his case and pulled out his own shoulder rest and placed it in an imitation on his own violin before lifting his violin quickly and tucking it between his chin and shoulder.

'Anything the matter Heero?' Heero glanced over at the teacher sharply, feeling a severe reprimand coming his way.

'No.' He answered sharply. 'Sorry, I was daydreaming.'

It was an excuse he would have ordinarily never used, nor would he ever allow himself to drift so far in mind as to forget his surroundings. But it was a good enough excuse, and the teacher bought it, smiling kindly as he waited for Heero to grab his bow before requesting G again. Heero drew his bow lightly across the string, watching with a frown as the rows of white horse hair gave way to the wood under.

'Hey.' The boy sitting next to him hissed. 'You forgot to tighten your bow.'

'My mistake.' Heero inspected his bow, unsure how to tighten it. Casually, he ran his hand down the length of the stick, finally resting on the metal knob at the end. Obviously this was where he would tighten it. Letting out a sigh, he turned the knob, watching as the white hair became more lax. Alarmed, Heero quickly turned the knob in the opposite direction, feeling much better when the hair became taut, but just how tight did he have to make this thing? For fear that it might snap, Heero stopped twisting the knob after the hair became only marginally tight. If he needed it to be tighter, then he would adjust it again.

'Heero?' It was the teacher again.

'Sorry.' Heero apologized quickly. 'Unfocused today.'

'Don't worry, no need to hurry.' The teacher smiled. 'We're still waiting on our pianist. But, once again folks, let me here a G.'

This time, when Heero let the bow slide across the string furthest to the left, the note that came was a rich and low G. _So this is how you play a violin_, he thought dully, trying desperately to sift through his memories until he reached the one where he visited his first and only concert. He had been distracted by the piano that time, but an assassin never leaves out the little details, and only a minor rummage through the memory yielded him the violinists on the side. Men and women in black suits and dresses, sitting in seats much more comfortable than the one he was sitting in, reading music of a stand like he would soon be doing, and playing the violin by letting the fingers on their left hand press down on the black board, holding the strings down under their weight. Heero furrowed his brow, Jefferson had said that they were still waiting on their pianist, which would surely give him some time to experiment and figure out the violin. Heero sighed, feeling somewhat relieved.

The teacher then requested a D, and everyone moved on to the second string, followed by the A and E strings. When they got to the E string, Heero discovered that his E was much higher than what he was hearing, a problem which he quickly rectified before he could become the target of attention again.

Unfortunately for Heero, the pianist showed up just as they finished tuning the violins. As it so happened, the pianist turned out to be a very familiar Chinese boy with a small ponytail. Silently, he wondered if this Wufei was his friend or his enemy, something which he would have to find out later. Sighing, Heero turned back to Mr. Jefferson who was busy tuning the other instruments, which left Heero free but unable to experiment with the basics of violin playing.

'Well then.' The teacher smiled wider. 'From the top.'

There was a moment while all the instruments were readied. Heero lifted his violin in unison with the boy next to him, eyes glancing quickly around the class. With a wide movement, the teacher silently indicated for everyone to begin. Luckily, it seemed that Heero and the violins sitting nearby did not start playing until the eighth bar, which gave him a moment to look at the viola players not so far away. A viola was not all that different from a violin, so he assumed the mechanics behind violas were the same as those for the wooden instrument he was now holding. Carefully, he noted that they pressed their fingers down on similar intervals down the board, and the lower they got, the higher the note, which was reasonable since the string was effectively shortened. Glancing back at his music, Heero quickly read the first line and memorized it. He would play the violin properly when he learnt how, but for now, there would be some seriously experimenting.

And so they begun with a loud and overly dramatic D, before moving onto C which Heero did not know how to play. A quick glance at the boy sitting next to him while still moving his arm in perfect sync to everyone else allowed Heero to approximate just how far the board he had to press to get a C, noticing all the while that the boy placed both his left index and middle finger down, and pulled up his middle finger when it got to B. Memorizing the approximate distances, Heero returned back to his violin, deciding to come in three bars later with a low G before playing a F, purposefully keeping his own music silent so as to adjust where to place his fingers. Three bars later, Heero Yuy had learnt how to play the violin.

-

When he walked out of the music room, Heero was feeling rather proud of himself. It seemed that he had not completely abandoned his skills during his shift into this alternate world. He had not gone far before Relena and Quatre appeared, both wearing anxious expressions as Heero approached. The Japanese boy shot them a sharp look, and Relena stiffened for a moment before racing over to envelope her brother in a most nervous hug. Heero blinked several times, uncertain what he was supposed to do. But Relena flung herself off quickly, her sky blue eyes showing her nervousness.

'How did it go?' She asked. 'I wasn't sure whether you knew how to play the violin, you know, being that you've forgotten…'

'I haven't forgotten anything.' Heero responded irritably. 'As for the practice, it went fine.'

'So you do know how to play the violin!' Relena looked positively joyous.

'No.' Heero shrugged. 'But I learned.'

'You what?' Quatre gave him an incredulous look.

'I learned.' Heero shrugged. 'It took me three bars into my part before I mastered the basics.'

'You learned how to play the violin.' Quatre was looking hysterical. 'In three bars.'

'Plus five minutes before hand while I learnt how to tune it as well.' Heero gave the violin case resting in his hands a mild look. 'It's harder to grasp than the piano, and I haven't had to tune instruments many times prior. But I managed somehow.'

'Of course…' Relena said weakly, offering Heero a sandwich. 'Have some lunch, you've got ten minutes before class starts again.'

-

Heero gazed absently out the window, taking in the blue skies and white clouds. It had been raining where he was fighting, a fierce storm that had lashed at his mobile suit and threatened to rip it into pieces. Heero had not been worried, having fought in worse conditions, but sitting here now in chemistry class with not even the weather to remind him of home almost…hurt. Silently, he wondered just what all this around him meant. Wondered if this could possibly be one of Dr. J's more radical experiments involving how one adapts when thrown into a completely foreign situation. But Heero doubted it, and that was what bothered him the most.

'Heero!' Heero glanced over to the teacher at the front of the class when his name was called, offering only a quirk of one eyebrow to indicate that he was listening. Needless to say, the teacher was not impressed. With an almost childish huff, the chemistry teacher tapped more irritably on the whiteboard, pointing at the sole word that spanned across the whiteboard. 'Mr. Peacecraft, please try to focus! You have already failed two tests and barely passed the most recent one! I daresay you should be listening instead of daydreaming.'

'Yuy.' Heero bit back irritably. 'You have my apologies.'

'What?' The teacher looked taken aback for a moment before returning to herself. 'I don't want your apologies Mr. Yuy! Give me the equation for photosynthesis, unless you've forgotten it.'

'Six carbon dioxide plus six water molecules to give glucose and six oxygen, with the delta H value of plus 2820 kilojoules per mol.' Heero answered monotonously, giving the teacher a bored look. 'This happens in the chlorophyll of plants with the presence of sunlight. Do I need to mention the light and dark reactions and the carbon fixing?'

'Um…no.' The teacher gave Heero a shocked look, something which Heero was seeing more and more often. Once again, he cursed his counterpart for being so pathetically daft before returning his attention to the window and the sky outside. He wanted to be back in a dark little room shared by only himself and Duo, wanted to be sitting at his desk once again typing up mission reports on his trusty laptop while Duo reprimanded him for being a complete and utter workaholic. With a shock, Heero realized that he was not made for peace, that he could not even spend a day in peace without craving the war again. _Idiot, that's not true,_ he told himself quickly, _I'm a soldier fighting for peace because I never got the chance to experience it. The only reason why I'm wishing for the war again is because this peace surrounding me now is not one that I have felt before, nor is it one that I won with my own hard work. This peace here is something that I was thrown into without choice, something that is more suffocating than the thought that tomorrow, all five of us pilots might be dead._

Heero groaned silently to himself, pressing his palms hard against his forehead. Since when had he become such an attached fool, he did not know. All he knew was that it hurt to sit there in class, staring around at a group of people he did not know, and bear in mind that the only people he did know were not the people he thought they were. Inadvertently, his mind drew up an image of a furious looking Duo glaring at him for a reason he did not know, and Heero felt his palms curl into fists. For the first time in such a long time, he felt like being openly childish and screaming about how unfair the world was.

-

Heero had been to a psychologist once in the past, but it had been one of Dr. J's associates, and he had come out of the session feeling less complete and more unstable than when he went in. So despite knowing that Relena's mother (who was also his in this ludicrous world) meant well when she drove him off to see Quatre's father, Heero was still reluctant to leave the car. It was childish and pathetic, something he most certainly should have grown out of, and something he definitely would not have attempted if it had been an order. But this was not, and contraire to popular belief, Heero Yuy did worry about his own health and mental state.

'Come on Heero.' Relena's mother cooed kindly. 'We're just going to see Quatre's father.'

'I don't need to visit a psychologist.' Heero growled, unsure whether he was more irritated at the condescending tone she was using or his current predicament. 'I am fine.'

'Sure you are. Come on now, I thought you liked seeing Dr. Winner.'

'No I don't.'

'Stop being so stubborn Heero.'

'I refuse to leave this car, for as good as your intentions may be, Mrs. Peacecraft, I will not permit you to use your position as the other Heero's mother to force me into several hours of mind raping at my expense.'

He had obviously said something wrong, for barely ten minutes later, he found himself sitting in the Mr. Winner's study room, opposite a smiling Mr. Winner with but a large, mahogany desk separating them.

'So, tell me about yourself Heero.' Mr. Winner asked kindly. Heero, who had discovered on more than one occasion within the day the trouble his stray tongue could get him in to, promptly fixed his mouth into a firm line, while making sure to properly process everything before he said it this time. Mr. Winner gave him an imploring look, which reminded him most strongly of those looks Quatre used to give when Heero neglected his own health in favor of something more pressing, such as fixing Wing.

'My name is Heero Yuy.' Heero said finally, giving Mr. Winner his most blank look.

'Yes, I know that.' Mr. Winner smiled. 'But it's never bothered you to be called Heero Peacecraft.'

'My name is Heero Yuy.' Heero repeated firmly. 'Just Heero Yuy.'

'Why?'

'That is my name, and I will not be changing it.'

'Yes, Heero Yuy after your mother, but it has never bothered you to be called Peacecraft.'

'I am not a Peacecraft.' Heero scowled. 'I was not named after my mother, but after a politician whose ideals led to his death.'

'Oh?' Mr. Winner looked intrigued. 'I have never heard of a politician named Heero Yuy.'

'Of course not.' Heero scowled. 'But that does not mean he did not exist.'

'Very true.' Mr. Winner paused for a moment. 'How did you feel about coming to see me today?'

'I was more than a little reluctant.' Heero responded stiffly.

'Why's that?'

'I don't like psychologists.' Heero gave Mr. Winner a hard stare, showing his obvious displeasure. Quatre's father flinched slightly, not used to such raw insights of irritation and anger. Heero suspected that the previous Heero had been mild, which contradicted with Relena's statement about him being a troublemaker. Not that he couldn't not be a troublemaker without being temperamental, but if Duo's animosity towards him was any sign, then the other Heero had to be a pain in the ass under some respects. _Your mind is wandering again_, he berated himself irritably, angry at his own slip. That seemed to be happening a lot lately, something which he definitely did not agree with.

'So, how was your day today?' Mr. Winner asked cheerfully. Heero gave him a blank look.

'Fine.' He bit out. The word "Fine" was something Heero hated hearing, but conversely loved to use. It was a very ambiguous adjective, which allowed Heero to provide an answer without giving anything away.

'Define fine.'

'I would like to go home now.' Heero said abruptly, standing up quickly. 'Am I excused?'

'It is a little early, but I suppose.' Mr. Winner's alarmed look softened into kindness once again. 'Well, visit me again some time.'

'Perhaps.' Heero nodded his goodbye before turning around and leaving, his posture and pace every bit as stiff and measured as his training dictated, although it seemed more like a last ditch effort of comforting himself that he was not slipping, even to him.

-

The first thing that came to Heero's mind when he returned to the Peacecraft home was to reorganize his bedroom. If he was to live in it for the next undetermined amount of time, then it was going to be hygienic, organized and fit with his creature comforts, although he would never admit that he had any. At present, the room looked like a tornado had blown right through it, throwing everything everywhere. It was the sort of disorganization he expected from Duo on one of the Deathscythe pilot's worse days, definitely not something he anticipated an alternate version of himself to do.

Upon entering the room, Heero dropped his school bag and violin case neatly on the only bit of empty ground beside the door. Next, he shrugged off his blazer and tie, hanging them neatly after removing the dirty clothing from the coat hanger sitting in the corner of the room. With a sigh, Heero released the top two buttons of his shirt, rolled up his sleeves and went to work.

He cleared the floor first, frown deepening as he unearthed more dirty clothes. From the smell of some of those garments, he estimated their last washing to be at least a month prior. Making a face of disgust, Heero discarded the unwashed clothing in a large heap in the center of the room, which only grew steadily larger as he continued through the room. The desk was his next target, and following it, the bookcase and the walls. There was no need for all those random posters, although his fingers hesitated before a particular artwork. Unlike most of the other posters he had taken down, this one was original, probably the work of somebody he knew (or his other self knew).There was a little inscription on the bottom right which dated the piece to two years back, but the signature was one he did not recognize.

Heero stared at the image for ages, unsure whether to take it down or not. It appeared to be a sketch of a man, his back to the viewer, standing on the precipice of destruction. Around him, the world was collapsing, becoming distorted and fading away into nothingness. But still, the man did not look worried, his shoulders remaining straight and his stance that of a wise man who knows he is about to die, and has accepted it without any reluctance. The shading done was phenomenal, and despite the common A3 paper on which it was drawn, the image still inspired something inside Heero. Sighing once, he moved away from the picture. That one was going to stay.

He was halfway through reorganizing the closet when he heard Relena's gasp of shock. Having heard her approaching ever since she walked onto the landing outside, Heero turned to face her, completely unsurprised. Relena's blue eyes were wide, the mug of coffee she held forgotten before her in a gesture that indicated how she was going to offer it to Heero. The Japanese boy quirked an eyebrow, shooting her a questioning look which pulled her out of her revere.

'Oh my.' Relena drew in a shuddering breath. 'You cleaned your room!'

'Yes.' Heero replied obviously before turning back to his closet, fishing out items that appeared to have been thrown in hurriedly by the previous occupant. He frowned when his seeking fingers met a cool, cardboard box, pulling the box out carefully from under a large stack of magazines. Brushing off the dust sitting in the corners, Heero opened the box and sighed. It was the computer startup box, containing all the necessary drivers, software and various other CDs that appeared to have accumulated over time. Silently, he dropped the box on top of the now cleaned desk, reminding himself that he would have to take a closer look at it later.

'Why are you cleaning your room?' Relena asked, finally seeming to overcome her shock as she walked in and settled at Heero's desk.

'Because it was messy.' Heero responded obviously, stepping back into the wardrobe to pull out a disused laptop carrier bag from under a heap of unfolded clothing.

'You…really are different.' The resignation in her voice was enough to make Heero turn around to glance at her once more. Her blue eyes were sad as she set the mug down on the tabletop. 'Of course you're different. You've been acting differently all day but…somehow, I thought that perhaps it was all just a passing…but now…' Relena took a deep breath, her chest rising with her attempts at controlling herself. 'You really aren't my little brother.'

'No, I'm not.' Heero sighed, forcing a kind expression onto his face as best as he could. 'But I'm still Heero, always have been.'

'Not my Heero.' Relena looked away.

'Hn.' Heero grunted, pondering for a moment with what he should say next. 'Relena?'

'Yes?'

'Did the other me visit the psychologist often?'

'A few times.' Relena answered with a small sigh. 'Why?'

'Just thinking that your mother's almost instantaneous solution of visiting the psychologist seemed a bit unusual.'

'You're a troublemaker.' Relena explained, looking almost wistful for a moment. 'You used to do a lot of stupid things just to get out of school. When you started acting strange, I thought it was just another one of your pranks, but I played along anyway. We are really quite lucky to have Dr. Winner as such a close family friend, no one else would deal with some of your, or rather the other Heero's pranks. It was only a week ago when yo-he insisted that he had agoraphobia. Dr. Winner had quite the laugh when mom took you over to see him after school, which she insisted you go to despite your "phobia".' Relena gave him a sad smile. 'I suppose I thought you were playing a game again, but it seemed less and less likely as school passed, and now…well, definitely no "order for the talented and blessed" right?'

'Messiness bothers me.' Heero shrugged. 'Although it does remind me of my roommate, well, former roommate I suppose.'

'He was really messy then?' Relena smiled, picking up the mug of coffee and offering it to Heero.

'Du-he knew he was messy.' Heero explained, cutting himself off quickly before he blurted out his former roommate's name. It was not a good idea to mention Duo's name right now. 'But he would never clean it. Sometimes, I think he did it just to get a rise out of me.'

'Sounds like a mischievous person.'

'Yea, he is…was…whatever.' Heero sighed, glancing at the window, uncertain what else to say. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Relena staring at him, her expression hesitant, as if unsure what to make of his words. Shaking his head quickly, he turned back to her, doing the best to put a neutral expression on his face. 'Is dinner ready yet? I would very much like to eat soon.'

'Huh? Oh yes, dinner will be ready in a bit.' Relena smiled slightly, leaning back so that her back touched the wall. Heero sat down on the bed, wondering all the while whether the Duo he knew was going to become past tense.

Silence reined, but neither he nor Relena tried to break it.

* * *

**Endnotes:**

I know, I am evil and I am slow and I haven't touched this story in ages. I offer you all my apologies, and also excuses as usual. I had exams, horrible, horrible exams which went pathetically and I'm going to die when results come out mid-December. Argh. I'm still uncertain whether my English has returned back to…well…normal, speaking English instead of something weird sounding like Yoda-speech. My German exam really had my brain in a loop, and for several days, I kept randomly shifting verbs around. Anyway, think that's cured now, and hoped you all enjoyed the second installment of warmth (un-betaed). If anyone has the time to offer as a beta, I would be very grateful. In any case, feedback is always appreciated, and makes this writer feel loved.


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